Baby carriage running gear



c. H. KUNIHOLM BABY CARRIAGE RUNNING GEAR Filed Feb. 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 18, 1939.

April 18, 1939. c. H. KUNIHOLM BABY CARRIAGE RUNNING GEAR Filed Feb. 24, 19:57

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BABY CARRIAGE RUNNING GEAR Application February 24, 1937, Serial No. 127,444

1 Claim.

This invention relates to baby carriages, gocarts and similar vehicles, and relates more particularly to the running gear with which such vehicles are provided.

t is the general object of my invention to provide an improved construction of running gear for such purposes, so devised that an effective yielding suspension is attained.

A further object is to provide a running gear with yielding suspension, which gear is of simple and economical construction and which is particularly adapted to its intended purposes and conveniently applicable to different types of carriages.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a baby carriage embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial rear elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in a different relation;

Fig. 4a is a partial detail View to be described;

Fig. 5 is a detail view, looking in the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a holding clip, looking in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a detail end elevation, partly in section and showing a modified construction.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a folding type of baby carriage or go-cart comprising a body l mounted on side bars H, each of which is directly secured at one end to the upper end of a folding side frame member l2 and is indirectly secured at the other end to the upper end of a second folding frame member E4.

The members l2 and M are pivoted at 15 to a cross member it, it being understood that a pair of side frame members I2 and M are provided at each side of the carriage.

The details of the body 16 and the manner of its attachment to the side frame members l2 and I4 form no part of my present invention and these parts may be of any usual or commercial construction.

The lower ends of the side frame members l2 are notched as indicated at H in Fig. 4a., and are adapted to receive bearing portions ll of (Cl. 28041) l the rear wheel axle l8. The bearing portions I! are held in. the notches It by clips 20, riveted or otherwise secured to the lower ends of the member I 2. These clips 20 each have an opening 2| to receive the axle and also have an outwardly projecting U-shaped portion 22 which at times acts as a stop, as will be hereinafter described.

The outer ends of the axle I8 are offset as indicated at 23 (Fig. 5) and are provided with wheel bearing portions 24. The axle I8 is also provided with a middle portion 26 (Fig. 2) offset in the opposite direction from the wheel bearing portion 24, and connected by a stiff coil spring 28 to a cross bar 29 which is firmly secured at its ends to the side frame members l2. The wheels W may be secured on the wheel bearing portions 24 in any convenient manner, as by cotter-pins 30.

It will be understood that the front axle 32 (Fig. 1) is of identical construction and is secured in notches in the lower ends of the side frame members I4 by additional clips 20, all as previously described.

Having described the details of construction of my improved running gear, the method of operation and advantages thereof are as follows:-

The springs 28 exert substantial tension on the middle offset portions 26 of the wheel axles l8 and 32, so that these parts normally assume the position indicated in Fig. 3. with the oppositely offset portions 26 and. 23 substantially aligned with the side frame members l2 or I4.

If a pair of wheels thus supported encounter an obstruction, the associated spring 28 allows the axle to swing about its bearing portions I! to the offset position shown in Fig. 4, thus allowing the wheels to rise Without causing a corresponding lifting of the carriage body. If the obstruction is excessive, the body may eventually be lifted but to a substantially reduced extent.

If the offset portions 23 are displaced to an exceptional extent, they will engage the outwardly projected portions 22 of the clips 20, by which angular movement of the wheel axle is limited to not more than ninety degrees in either direction.

It will thus appear that I have provided an extremely simple and economical construction by which the wheels of a baby carriage or gocart or other similar vehicle may be yieldingly mounted and rendered adaptable to move to a substantial extent independent of the structure supported thereby, whenever obstacles are encountered. Obviously, the stiffness of the spring suspension is in part dependent on the dimensions and tension of the springs 28, and any desired yield may be attained by suitable selection of the springs.

In Fig. '7 I have shown a slightly modified construction by which the wheels may be mounted to yield separately rather than in pairs. In Fig. 7 an offset brace 40 is secured to the lower end of a side frame member 4| and both the side frame member and the brace'are notched at their lower ends as previously described. A short axle 42 is mounted in the notches in the lower ends of the parts 40 and 4| and may be secured from displacement by a holding clip 43 as in the form previously described.

The axle 42 is provided with an offset bearing portion 45 at its outer end for the wheel W and with an oppositely offset arm 46 at its inner end which is connected with a cross bar 41 by a spring 48.

With this construction I attain the same yielding action with a single wheel W as was attained for each pair of wheels in the construc tion shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

In a childs Vehicle, a structure to be supported, a pair of wheels, an axle for said Wheels, said axle having intermediate bearing portions pivotally mounted on said structure and wheelbearing portions radially offset from said firstnamed bearing portions, clips to secure said axle to said structure, and means to hold said wheelbearing portions yieldingly in a predetermined normal angular relation to the adjacent fixed parts of said structure on which said axle is pivoted, said wheel-bearing portions being angularly and yieldably movable in both directions from said normal position on application of a displacing force thereto, and said clips having outwardly extending portions effective as stops to limit angular displacement of said wheel- 20 bearing portions in both instances.

CARL H. KUNII-IOLM. 

